*We extend Pat Riley an extraordinary amount of benefit of the doubt simply because he's Pat Riley. Anybody else with less aura and less credibility and less jewelry would be getting savaged for how selfish and convenient his timing has appeared lately in deciding when to coach and not coach the champion Miami Heat.

**Riley doesn't coach when the team is in last place or laboring or even bored. But Riley returns triumphantly whenever Shaquille O'Neal does. Riley suspends James Posey and Antoine Walker for fatness, then leaves poor Ron Rothstein to take the beatings without them. Shaq and Dwayne Wade are healthy? Suddenly, so is Riley.

[size=150]The surprise isn't that Riley resumes coaching now that Miami is coming off its single most impressive regular-season victory in two years -- the blowout of San Antonio. The surprise is that he didn't hobble down the arena stairs in the fourth quarter of that game and poke Rothstein out of the way with one of his crutches. If Shaq had been back a month ago, Rothstein would have been on his stomach then, the back of his suit stained by the tracks of Riley's wheelchair.[/size]***

and more...

*Perception and packaging buy you plenty in sports, and few have a more magical mix of it than Riley. He practically invented the coach as glamorous runway model, wrapped in Armani and discipline. He looked more presidential than Stan Van Gundy, and sports fans love believing in the authority figure as guide, teacher, boss and instiller of toughness. Doesn't matter that, in crucial moments, Riley succeeded last season because he gave the ball to Wade and got the heck out of the way. When his choices at those moments were Clarence Weatherspoon or John Starks what Riley did for 18 years was lose those games.

How much does perception and packaging matter? Consider this: Let's say it wasn't Riley coming and going based on whether the Heat was winning or losing. Let's make it someone else. Let's make it Nick Saban. How would you feel about it then?

Riley can do what he wants, of course. Its his team, his power, and he earned it forever in these parts with a ring. Or Wade earned it for him, anyway. But it isn't terribly becoming from the outside when the health issues don't keep you from an offseason safari but do make you limp away when your veterans are fat, satiated, losing and yelling back at you in practice because of all your pushing. In fact, it isn't a lot different than Saban demanding toughness and accountability and overcoming from only his players and not himself when things get difficult.

Riley once famously said there are only two states of existence -- winning and misery. But now there's an addendum. There's winning, and there's sabbatical.*

Pat Riley is like Mike Finley..."just riding the coat-tails to a championship"

*We extend Pat Riley an extraordinary amount of benefit of the doubt simply because he's Pat Riley. Anybody else with less aura and less credibility and less jewelry would be getting savaged for how selfish and convenient his timing has appeared lately in deciding when to coach and not coach the champion Miami Heat.

**Riley doesn't coach when the team is in last place or laboring or even bored. But Riley returns triumphantly whenever Shaquille O'Neal does. Riley suspends James Posey and Antoine Walker for fatness, then leaves poor Ron Rothstein to take the beatings without them. Shaq and Dwayne Wade are healthy? Suddenly, so is Riley.

[size=150]The surprise isn't that Riley resumes coaching now that Miami is coming off its single most impressive regular-season victory in two years -- the blowout of San Antonio. The surprise is that he didn't hobble down the arena stairs in the fourth quarter of that game and poke Rothstein out of the way with one of his crutches. If Shaq had been back a month ago, Rothstein would have been on his stomach then, the back of his suit stained by the tracks of Riley's wheelchair.[/size]***

and more...

*Perception and packaging buy you plenty in sports, and few have a more magical mix of it than Riley. He practically invented the coach as glamorous runway model, wrapped in Armani and discipline. He looked more presidential than Stan Van Gundy, and sports fans love believing in the authority figure as guide, teacher, boss and instiller of toughness. Doesn't matter that, in crucial moments, Riley succeeded last season because he gave the ball to Wade and got the heck out of the way. When his choices at those moments were Clarence Weatherspoon or John Starks what Riley did for 18 years was lose those games.

How much does perception and packaging matter? Consider this: Let's say it wasn't Riley coming and going based on whether the Heat was winning or losing. Let's make it someone else. Let's make it Nick Saban. How would you feel about it then?

Riley can do what he wants, of course. Its his team, his power, and he earned it forever in these parts with a ring. Or Wade earned it for him, anyway. But it isn't terribly becoming from the outside when the health issues don't keep you from an offseason safari but do make you limp away when your veterans are fat, satiated, losing and yelling back at you in practice because of all your pushing. In fact, it isn't a lot different than Saban demanding toughness and accountability and overcoming from only his players and not himself when things get difficult.

Riley once famously said there are only two states of existence -- winning and misery. But now there's an addendum. There's winning, and there's sabbatical.*

Pat Riley is like Mike Finley..."just riding the coat-tails to a championship"

I watched most of another Heat game last night. The charge they called on Wade on the play where he got hurt was bogus, being able to slide under a guy who has already jumped = lame. Wade needs to learn to scream at refs, or not get hurt when someone takes him out while he's in the air, so he can get more calls.

Riley was injured. He took time off to get surgery. Any player that gets injured has the same benefit. There is no difference. Riley is not "Getting away with it"..

Its not like Pat took a 2 month cruise vacation around the world. He got his freakin hip replaced cause he couldn't deal with the pain any longer.

Why is this a problem? Oh cause its Heat related. Dam you guys got it bad. For both of your sakes I kind of hope the Mavs win the Title. I can't imagine the state of mental health you two will be in if they don't. Especially if the lose the Heat again.

reminds me of the time Pete Incaviglia, LFer for the Texas Rangers in the 80s, ran into the wall to try and make a catch, hurting his shoulder in the process. No injury to his legs. Yet, he wanted to show everyone in the park that he was indeed hurt, so what better way to do that then to LIMP back to your position! Wait! I thought he hurt his shoulder! Why is he limping!

Same thing with Wade - why does he need a wheelchair unless maybe he has some nerve damage or something?

oh well, it's not that big of deal . . just another story of Wade and his theatrics. The best one though was when he brought the box of kleenex to all of his press conferences to show everyone he had a cold last year in the playoffs. Dude's a great player. But it's pretty annoying to see him always playing up his injuries. Maybe it's a marketing thing though since his first real commercial was that get knocked down x amount of times and get back up x amount of times thing

i'm disappointed though cause evidently, he wont be making the trip to dallas tomorrow night.

I guess the shoulder injury caused him to lose the use of his legs....

actually walking w/ a shoulder injury can make it more worse as the lower body movement causes arms to sway. Can you walk w/o your upper body not moving at all? Also they didn't know the extent on the injury at that time, so its smarter to have someone immbolized. You guys gonna complain when they put a neck brace on someone when they're moving their arms and legs even though they could have severe neck injury? geez yas sounding a bit petty now aren't you.

I guess the shoulder injury caused him to lose the use of his legs....

actually walking w/ a shoulder injury can make it more worse as the lower body movement causes arms to sway. Can you walk w/o your upper body not moving at all? Also they didn't know the extent on the injury at that time, so its smarter to have someone immbolized. You guys gonna complain when they put a neck brace on someone when they're moving their arms and legs even though they could have severe neck injury? geez yas sounding a bit petty now aren't you.

Agreed Repp, but I think the tone of the thread becomes less and less serious with each page. I think Cable is just keeping the thread going, so now I'm doing my part.....